by Emma Doherty
What the actual hell?!
“Do you like it?”
I whirl to see Chase standing behind me looking pretty smug.
He laughs at the look on my face. “I take it that means you do?”
“I had no idea you were going to go this big.”
He shrugs. “I figured if we’re going to be charging people, we have to make sure it’s good. The waiters were Rosie’s idea. She said it would make everyone feel like they were in a real venue and would bid more.”
“Rosie your sister?” The sister who definitely doesn’t like me.
“The very same. She had somewhere she had to be tonight or she’d be here, but she told me to tell you hi and say good luck.”
“She did?” I can’t keep the hint of amazement out of my voice.
He laughs. “Yes!”
“But your sister doesn’t like me.”
He chuckles. “My sister didn’t like us as a couple, but she’s very much aware that I was part of the problem. She has nothing against you personally.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really! Now come on, tell me the truth—what do you think?”
My eyes fall back to the room, people mingling and chatting, a group of girls in the corner looking around nervously as music plays in the background while Aaron flirts with a girl who’s taking a drink from a tray. There’s a definite air of excitement in the room.
“I think it’s amazing.” That’s an understatement. “Can I do anything to help?”
“No. Everything’s taken care of.”
“It is? I’m so sorry. I would have been here earlier, but your text said nine.”
“I know.” He winks at me. “Figured you’d be better off spending the day studying rather than getting this place ready.”
I blink at him.
He purposely told me the wrong time? So I could study all day?
“What time did you start setting up?”
“Aaron and those guys showed up at around four I think.”
Four PM? Five hours ago they showed up here to help Chase and start to get ready for tonight?
I might cry right here and now thinking about people putting in so much effort for me.
“Can I…” My voice is kind of wobbly, and Chase has a knowing smirk on his face. He knows just how much this means to me. “Can I hug you? Please?”
He laughs out loud and swoops me up into a big hug, crushing me to him. “I told you—you are graduating with me, Baker. It’s definitely not going to be the charity side that holds you back.”
No, more likely the academic side the way I’m going, but I push that thought from my mind. Now is not the time to think about that. Now is the time to be grateful to Chase and think about the point of tonight and everything it means.
“How much do I owe you?” I ask, grabbing my phone so I can transfer the money to him. “For the food and drinks and waiters and everything.”
He shakes his head.
“Chase!”
“I got it.”
“I’m not letting you do that,” I insist. “This is my thing, not yours—you shouldn’t be out of pocket.”
“I’m not.” He pauses. “Well not much.”
He’s so exasperating. I’d forgotten how exasperating he can be. “Tell me how much.”
“Seriously.” He holds his hands up. “The caterers are the company my mom uses all the time when she holds her functions. I told them she was considering other options, so they said they’d do this for free if she signs on for another year with them.”
I gape at him. “Was she going to change?”
He smirks. Of course she wasn’t.
“All the decorations are from Rosie’s sorority—we just have to return them tomorrow—and the alcohol I just added to my dad’s business account when ordering. He won’t even notice, and if he does, he won’t care.”
He makes a valid point about his dad’s observation skills, especially when it comes to Chase.
“Are you sure?” It doesn’t feel right letting him pick this up.
“I got this,” he says sincerely. “I got you.”
Jesus Christ.
I got you. He doesn’t make it easy to fall out of love with him.
“We’re going to raise a lot of money for that domestic abuse charity,” I tell him.
He nods. “We will. Now, there are tons of people outside having some drinks and food before this gets started. Why don’t you go do what your mom has been trying to pass on to you for years.”
I frown, confused.
“Go schmooze people into spending money in a way that will benefit you.”
I bark a laugh at that, flash a grin, and then do exactly as he says. I swipe a drink and go outside to gape some more at the sheer number of people who have come and are excited for tonight.
The auction is going better than I ever thought it would. A bunch of sophomores got excited and started a betting war for the date with Jenna, raising over two hundred bucks, and Aaron’s car day brought in nearly three hundred dollars from a couple of guys I’ve seen around school who I’m pretty sure are seniors.
It helps that Chase is on the microphone and is being his usual charming, charismatic self. He’s joking and laughing and teasing people, and as a result, people are being persuaded to spend more than I would have expected.
It also helps that a lot of the kids at Grove Valley High are from privileged backgrounds and have the money to spend.
“Okay, up next we have a very special prize for you girls out there,” Chase explains. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime, never-been-done-before chance to be made over by the one and only Abigail Baker.”
My stomach drops as I see people turn to look at me.
Please, please don’t let this humiliate me.
I didn’t actually want to volunteer this prize, too worried nobody would want it and I’d end up looking like a fool, but Chase ignored me and put it in anyway, telling me that if everyone else was donating then I’d have to too.
I guess it’s a valid point.
Besides, it’s just doing someone’s makeup.
“The prize includes your makeup being done by Abigail herself, something she’s famous for with her friends.” Jennifer lets out a whoop from behind me, and I turn and smile at her gratefully. “She’ll buy two items of makeup specifically for you to keep.” I didn’t know about that, but okay. “She’ll also pay for your hair to be done at whatever fancy place she goes to.” I can do that. I have a place my mom, sister, and I go to that would probably give me a voucher since it’s for charity and we give them so much business, but even if they don’t, I can pay for it. “And you can pick any outfit out of her closet.”
I nearly choke on my drink. I did not agree to that!
Does he have any idea how valuable my closet is and how particular I am about it?!
Chase finds my face in the crowd and sends me a wink.
Well, I guess I have no choice now since he’s already said it.
“So, let’s start the bidding at thirty dollars.”
“Fifty,” Sasha says loyally from her spot next to me.
“Sixty,” says someone near the front of the room.
I blink as I see some girl turn around to smile at me shyly. She looks like she’s a freshman or a sophomore.
“Seventy.”
I turn behind me and see another girl with her hand up.
“Eighty.”
“Ninety.”
“One hundred.”
“One ten.”
“One twenty.”
“One thirty.”
I’m gaping at the amounts being called out.
I turn to Sasha, my eyes wide. “People are bidding.”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course they’re bidding on you. Half the girls at school worship you.”
Yeah, and the other half hate me.
I tune back in. “One seventy.”
“One eighty.”
It’s gotten a bit quieter now,
slower.
“Anyone for one ninety? It’s a great prize…once in a lifetime. You get to boss Abigail around all day, tell her exactly what you want and get her to do it.”
I narrow my eyes.
“Two hundred!”
“Sold!”
I breathe a sigh of relief. I wasn’t humiliated.
The girl heads to the side of the stage to pay for her purchase, smiling over at me. I wave her over and introduce myself, finding out that she’s Kelly and a freshman, and we swap numbers so we can plan her day.
She’s petite and shy, and I can already tell what colors will work best with her brown eyes and skin tone.
I’m actually looking forward to it. I love a makeover.
I can feel myself getting excited.
“Okay, next up, something all you ladies have been waiting for: a date with Brendon.”
There’s cheering around us he bounds up to the stage, flexing and lifting his shirt up to show his abs, and more people seem to crowd into the room.
I look around at everyone and breathe a sigh of relief that most people in our school have money. I’m lucky that people are willing to contribute to this charity night, and even though I only started doing this for extra credit, it’s really awesome that so much is being raised for a worthy cause.
Chase is giving his spiel about Brendon, talking him up and telling them about the date.
He starts the bidding.
Surprisingly—or not really, if you know Brendon and what a flirt he is—the bids pick up pretty quickly.
“Seventy bucks.”
I turn in surprise to see Sasha next to me with her hand in the air. I raise an eyebrow at her.
She shrugs. “It’s for charity.”
I glance back at the stage, and Brendon looks pretty pleased about her bid, looking down at her with a smirk on his face. The bidding moves on, and I can see her deciding what to do next.
“One hundred.”
This time it’s Aaron who turns to glare at her, looking pissed. “What the hell, Sash?”
Now it’s me who’s looking between her and Aaron. He really doesn’t look impressed with her at all.
“It’s just for charity,” she insists, but when the bets move on, she doesn’t bid any higher.
Weird.
Maybe she is ready to date after all and isn’t still pining after her ex, which definitely bodes well for me with getting her to date Brett.
Suddenly two arms are wrapped around me from behind and I jump, wondering who the hell it is that’s touching me. When I twist around, to my complete surprise, Dan Summers is there, flanked by a couple of his friends.
“What are you doing here?”
He shrugs, a smile on his face. “Heard this was the place to be tonight.”
I force myself to smile back at him even though I’m not entirely happy to see him here. This is a Grove Valley event, and now I feel like I’m going to have to entertain him when I really just want to hang out with my friends.
He turns to look at the stage. “Brendon Greene’s selling dates?”
I shrug. “It’s for charity.”
He smiles down at me. “I’d buy a date with you.”
He’s so cheesy.
I nod toward the kitchen, telling him and his friends that the drinks are that way and I’ll join them when the auction is over.
Sasha turns to me the second they’ve walked away. “I didn’t know you invited Dan Summers.”
“I didn’t.”
Her face lights up. “He just came on his own? He must be really into you.”
I roll my eyes. I really don’t think that’s the case, more like they were all bored and decided to swing by. But they will have paid entry to get into the party, so I guess I can’t complain about the extra contributions to charity.
“Do you like him?”
I don’t really have a strong opinion either way. “He’s okay.”
She hesitates. “You are giving him a real chance, right?”
I frown at her.
“I mean, after Chase, you’re not comp—”
“Stop!” I interrupt. “I’m not even thinking about Chase like that anymore.”
She doesn’t look like she believes me for a single second.
“Seriously.” I’m very close to snapping at her. “It’s done, and I know that.”
“I know you do, but it doesn’t mean you don’t miss Chase.”
I scowl, mainly because she knows me too well and I don’t like it, and then I tell her I have to go check on Dan just as there’s a cheer from the crowd that means Brendon probably has his date.
I walk into the kitchen and see that Dan’s friends have already found a couple of Grove Valley girls who they’re chatting away with, and Dan is talking to Jackson, laughing at something he’s saying and reminding me that these guys have probably played each other so many times over the years that they’re pretty familiar with each other.
I approach them slowly just as Jackson looks up. “Hey, Abbie. You want me to tell you something that’s going to blow your mind?”
Huh?
He smirks at the look on my face then tells me a number that is so high it makes my jaw drop.
“Are you being serious?”
He laughs. “Yup. That’s how much you’ve made off the entry fee alone.”
I feel like I’m about to pass out. I knew we’d make some decent money tonight, but I didn’t imagine it would be into the multiple thousands.
“That’s awesome, babe,” Dan says, throwing his arm around me and kissing my cheek.
It takes everything I have not to shift away from him. Is it normal to be so confident and full steam ahead with someone when you’ve only been on a few dates?
Jackson eyes dart back and forth between us, and he smirks before excusing himself.
I watch him go, wishing he’s stayed. I’d have more to talk about with Jackson than with Dan.
“So how late does this thing go?” Dan asks me.
I shrug. “No idea.”
He turns to face me, his hands dropping to my hips and pulling me toward him slightly. “I’ve got a free house tonight.”
I raise an eyebrow at him.
“We could go back there…”
Yeah, I got that. “I’m going to need to stay here until the end and help clean up.”
He doesn’t look the least bit put out by that. “Oh yeah?”
I think he’s about to offer to stay and help me clean up too.
“Well it seems like there are probably a couple of spare bedrooms in this place,” he starts, a smirk on his face. “We could go upstairs for little while.”
Is he actually suggesting I ditch my own fundraising event to go upstairs and have sex with him for the first time in my ex-boyfriend’s house? “Not going to happen.”
He mock-pouts at me, tugging me closer to him so my hips are resting against his. “Don’t be like that. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Does he actually think he’s tempting me right now? “Yeah, I’m not gonna do that.”
He has the audacity to look surprised, like I’m being unreasonable. “Maybe I can change your mind?”
Before I can react, he’s leaning forward and kissing me, soft gentle kisses that I should be really into, before he leans back to see if he’s made any progress.
I roll my eyes, because he is a good kisser, but when my eyes fall behind him, I see Sarah standing in the corner with her eyes on us. She looks away the second she sees me looking, but it’s too late to mask the hurt on her face. She really is into Dan.
I push him away.
Sarah and I might not be on speaking terms anymore, but I don’t need to be making out with her crush in front of her. That’s just cruel.
I make up an excuse about needing to go to the bathroom then walk in the opposite direction of the bathroom and head out into the garden to get some fresh air, along with some needed distance between me and Dan Summers.
And I run right i
nto Brett.
“Hey! You’re here?”
“Nothing gets past you, does it?”
I scowl. Is there any need for his constant attitude?
I turn to his friends, the same two I always see him with, and flash them my widest smile. “Brett doesn’t have any manners so has never introduced us—I’m Abigail.”
Brett rolls his eyes. “They know who you are, smartass.”
His friends grin at me. “I’m Dane.”
“Jason.”
“Great to meet you.”
His friends looks between us. “We’re gonna get some more drinks.”
I watch them leave and turn back to him. “I studied all day today, for eight hours straight.”
“What do you want, a medal?” My face must fall at his response because he shakes his head a second later. “Sorry, that’s awesome.”
I glance down at the floor. I get that studying for that long wouldn’t be a big deal for him, but for me, it’s a real achievement. The fact that I think some of it actually sank in? Well, that’s even better.
Brett clears his throat. “So how did it go?”
“I did the equations you set up for me, and I think by the end I was getting most of them right.”
He nods.
“At least that’s what my sister said.”
“Your sister helped you?”
“She checked up on me and told me I was doing it right.”
“What does she do?”
Ellie? She’s married to a rich guy and is now raising his child and cooking him his meals and is probably only a few months from becoming pregnant again. “She’s a homemaker right now.”
“She didn’t go to college?”
“She did, but she got married and just had a baby so she’s just doing that right now.”
“She doesn’t want to work?”
I shrug. I’ve never thought about it. “Um, probably eventually. She might do charity lunches soon. Her husband’s end goal is politics.”
“Ah.”
He couldn’t sound more judgmental if he tried. “What does that mean?”
“What?”
“Ah.”
“Nothing.”
“Yes, it does.”
“Just that if her husband is going to move into politics, he probably has a lot of money so she doesn’t have to work.”
Well, yes, but… “So? What do you care if she works or not?”
